"Neil is so pitiful. he's never lived for myself, not even once.""Master, if given another chance, Mr. Neil's life would be even more difficult. You know that.""I know...""Then do you truly believe you can protect Mr. Neil? That increasingly innocent Mr. Neil?""I can." I hesitated for a moment, but decided to try once more."And what about your werewolf strength, Master?""Training, I can do it."Honestly, I wasn't confident, and Ethan knew it too. But I was well aware that Ethan also wanted Neil to come back, so I took a gamble. As it turned out, I won. Ethan was willing to help me. We knew the conditions for the resurrection ritual, and we had all the necessary items. We proceeded with the ritual right there in Ethan's old house.Of course, my sole focus was on bringing Neil back, without considering any new problems that might arise. I also failed to notice the secret that Ethan had concealed from me from the very beginning.The final step was to properly handle Neil's body. Fo
"That concludes today's report," Rizo finished."Alright, you may leave.""Mr. Lucas Junior, there's actually one more thing...""Didn't you say the report was over?""It's not about today, but something from a few months ago.""What is it?""It's about the candidate for the Lee family's parachute.""That again? Let's put it aside for now.""But Mr. Lee himself came to remind us.""Enough! All day it's one problem after another, and now they have the nerve to rush me!"I swatted away the file Rizo handed me, causing it to fly to the side. At that moment, I couldn't muster any goodwill toward the Lee family. Just five minutes ago, I had dealt with a mess created by the Lee family's wastrel, and Rizo's reminder unleashed the anger I had been holding back. Without waiting to hear anything more from him, I strode out of the office.I knew Rizo was under duress. Though he framed it as a reminder, I was well aware of the old man's nature in the Lee family. Much like the Mr. Lucas Senior, th
"Resisted, and yet you continue?""I... I...""Don't lie anymore. You're out of chances.""Yes, I continued. I couldn't resist.""If you couldn't resist, would you have gone to see your other boyfriends?! You chose Black's youngest son, of all, you chose one from the dangerous mafia family?""I... I didn't know...""Not know and still act so recklessly? Do I have to ruin your little Jerry to make you reflect?!"Before I could finish my interrogation, a shrewish woman interrupted, pushing her way past the guards at the door. Being someone of status, the guards didn't dare to block her too firmly; a slight push and they couldn't hold her back. She had heard my words. Of course, when she saw me, she didn't dare to continue her harpy-like attitude, quickly switching gears to plead for her son."No, no, Ryan, you can't ruin Jerry’s down there," the plump woman interjected, coming to his defense."Ryan, I dare not anymore, truly, I dare not.""Ryan, look here, Jerry has apologized. Spare hi
I hurried to Rizo's desk and began searching frantically. I needed to find the folder he had handed to me last time. I was acutely aware of the irony of my actions; I had already sent him into the lion's den, and only now was I seeking out the information that I had previously dismissed. No matter how thoroughly I searched, I couldn't find it. By the time Rizo returned, having seen someone off, I was still empty-handed.Desperately, I showed Rizo the photo and asked him to confirm if the person in it was the one I had sent to the Black family. His nod was like a dagger to my heart, nearly suffocating me with regret. It turned out that he had been around me for the past three months, and yet I had completely overlooked him.When Rizo realized I was searching for that folder, he took it out from his briefcase. He said that, despite everything, he couldn't let it go, so he had been investigating in secret. However, he could only find out what was happening outside the Black family reside
Neil finally sat down, and it seemed my conditions had given him enough reassurance to momentarily let his guard down and engage in conversation with me—or so I thought. As he settled next to me, barely a meter away, I couldn't help but notice how much thinner he looked, even more so than the previous two Neils. I couldn't help but wonder if he had endured considerable hardship to become this thin. Should I start feeding him every meal like I did with Neil Caster? But before that, I needed to address the matter at hand. Just as I was about to reveal the secret, an unexpected twist unfolded."I want to tell you my secret...""Mr. Lucas Junior, you don't have to tell me your secret. Let's just talk.""Don't you want to know my secret? If you knew, you could hold it over me, even threaten me if necessary.""No need. I can do without knowing the secret.""Can I ask why?""I don't want Mr. Lucas Junior to lose your Lucas Group, and even if Mr. Lucas Junior yourself wouldn't harm me, others
"Neil, who gave you this list?""It was Jerry.""Jerry Lee?""Yes."The investigation resulted from Rizo had also been released, confirming Neil's condition. Indeed, he had suffered a head injury, which left him in a coma for six months. Moreover, apart from fractures in his left hand and right leg, he had multiple superficial wounds that took over three months to heal. When he woke up, he couldn't remember anything from before. The doctors diagnosed him with possible temporary amnesia but couldn't determine how long this "temporary" would last. Other than this, his injuries were not severe, although the fractures still impacted his daily activities to some extent. Richard Lee arranged for numerous tests to ensure Neil was fine before finally allowing him to be discharged from the hospital.The medical condition remained consistent, but the medical expenses told a different story. Rizo found that the amount on the actual medical bill was significantly less than the one Neil had—almost
"I want to know, is it possible?""When I was at the Black's house..." He hesitated for a moment, then began, but stopped again."Were you beaten?" I couldn't bear to let him struggle to say it himself, so I started prompting him."Yeah, I was beaten.""Did many people beat you?""No, just one person.""Who? The Black CEO? Peter Black?""Yeah..."When the name was mentioned, Neil’s expression reverted to how it was when we first met, distant and guarded. It seemed that the CEO was someone he preferred not to be associated with, just as he had appeared before we had spoken. But Neil had indeed been to the Black's house, reportedly more than once. There must have been substantial interaction between them. Could there have been issues between them? Was Neil subjected to severe mistreatment?"Did he physically assault you?""No, not really.""No? Then what did he do to you? Was it something more severe?""Yeah, it was something more severe."As I spoke, I noticed his eyes welling up with
"Never mind, let's tend to your wound first." I was still very worried about his injury."No, no need," Neil insisted, clutching his clothes tightly."Mr. Lucas Junior, perhaps you should take Neil to his room and help him with the medication. He might be feeling shy," whispered Rizo softly in my ear, just loud enough for me to hear but not Neil.I thought he had a point, so I gently led Neil to his room. As soon as I closed the door and turned around, I was taken aback by his reaction. He assumed I was going to force him and had backed into the corner of the bed, unable to retreat any further because of the wall behind him. Despite having no more room to move, he continued to press his feet against the mattress, gripping the sheets tightly with both hands.I wasn't angry at his misunderstanding. Instead, his behavior made me realize the deep trauma inflicted by the previous assault. Even a simple act of pulling him into a room and closing the door was enough to cause him great anxiet
Harry stood in the shadows, a subtle smile playing on his lips, his eyes radiating calm confidence. “Of course,” he replied, raising an eyebrow with that trademark mix of humor and certainty, as though he had the situation effortlessly under control. Harry was always like this—composed, astute, unwavering—seemingly born with the spirit of a fighter who refused to bow to fate. I looked at him, filled with gratitude and relief. The bond between us had long surpassed life, death, and honor; no matter the crisis, he was always there.As he turned his gaze toward Ken Yimo, a ripple of relief ran through me. Yes, Ken Yimo had indeed gone to Harry rather than taking some darker course of action. Unable to contain myself, I asked, “Ken Yimo, I’ll admit, I’m glad you actually brought Harry. Now, what about Neil?” My voice betrayed a hint of urgency, a worry that was impossible to hide. Neil’s condition had been weighi
Ken Yimo simply gave a cold smile, completely dismissing my warnings. There was no trace of pity or warmth in his eyes as he turned and walked out of the cell. I stood there, helpless and furious, watching him leave, fully aware that I was trapped here and powerless to stop him. As the heavy door slowly closed behind him, a sense of helplessness overwhelmed me, and despair and anguish surged in my chest. I was locked in this cold, isolated cell, surrounded by thick stone walls that shut out even the faintest trace of light, leaving me in total darkness. There was no way to reach out, no phone, no tool to call for help. My thoughts began to be consumed by the shadows, yet Neil's face lingered in my mind, refusing to fade. Would he, once again, fall prey to Ken Yimo’s control and cruelty, triggering another episode of sleepwalking? The thought twisted my heart with an unshakable sense of dread and fear. As night fell, darkness engulfed
I stared at him, unwilling to waste words. Instead, I asked directly, “Where’s Neil?” The question was like a weight pressing on my chest, and this man before me was the only one who could answer it.Ken Yimo’s expression was one of indifference, as he replied coolly, “Neil? He’s resting. He’s very simple-minded. As long as I tell him to stay put, he won’t wander off. So, unlike with you, I don’t have to keep him chained up.” His words dripped with a detached cruelty, as though Neil were nothing more than a toy he could control at will. My fists clenched involuntarily, and a simmering anger began to burn within me.I knew then—Ken Yimo must have done something to manipulate Neil or force him into submission. I wanted to press him further, but Ken spoke first, a sly smile twisting across his face. “Ah, but it seems that when kids grow up, they’re not so easy to keep
“I’ve had enough.” Finally, my patience wore thin. Soft tactics weren’t working, so it was time to be firm. I stood up, bundled Neil up tightly in his blanket, ignoring his struggles or pleas. Before long, Neil was sitting at the small table, his head poking out from the blanket while the rest of his body was wrapped up snugly—held there by my bear hug, replacing any other form of restraint.I should have done it this way from the start. It saved time, kept the food warm, and, most importantly, even though he was wrapped in a blanket, I could still hold him close, care for him, protect him—letting him sit on my lap and lean against me.“Wow.” Seeing his eager expression, I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. “I know you love these dishes, so I made them just for you. What do you want to eat?”"My favorite pasta.""My favorite pancakes."
I rambled on while watching the stars twinkle silently in the night sky. The breeze caressed the woods outside the tent, and the night was as gentle as a dream. Unconsciously, fatigue crept into my eyelids, and finally I fell into a deep sleep in the stillness of the night.I didn't know exactly how long I slept until a beam of morning light shone through the transparent tent roof and shone on my face, waking me up from my slumber. In a daze, I blinked, as if last night's worries and hesitations were still swirling in my mind. But the scene that came into my eyes next completely turned all my imaginations upside down.“Neil!!! what are you doing?!” I instantly came to my senses and sat up with a jolt. Right in front of me, Neil was kneeling beside me, head bowed, with a serious look on his face as he tried to help me with my natural morning reaction. He didn't look hesitant at all, as if it was a matter of course.
My heart sank, realizing that it wasn’t just innocent childish behavior—it was a desperate search for affection, a need to please, a struggle to win more care and love from Ken Yimo. In that moment, I suddenly understood that Harry's words might have been true—their relationship was far beyond a typical father-son bond.I struggled to steady the emotions stirring within me, and looked up at Neil’s innocent face. He probably didn’t recognize the true meaning behind those gestures—their intent was not simply familial love, but a deep, almost physical craving for attention, a kind of dependence on being favored. A quiet ache settled in my chest as I wished with all my heart that he would never be caught in that dark emotional whirlpool again.I smiled softly, gently steering the conversation back to where it had started. "So, to get back to the point, I am your one and only, aren't I?" On this quiet night, I
"Yes, every day." Neil nodded firmly, his tone pure, almost childlike."Then, is this kind of missing me something unique?" I pressed on, as though I were hoping to hear a one-of-a-kind answer from him."Unique?" He blinked, looking as though he didn’t quite understand the meaning of the word.I patiently explained, "What I mean is... is this something that only I experience? Like, the way you miss your dad—does it feel the same as the way I miss mine?"Neil shook his head slightly, his voice soft as he replied, "It's different. I miss Ryan more."A flicker of delight stirred within me, but I kept my expression neutral and asked, "What about compared to your elder brother and your little brother? Is it different with them too?"Neil thought for a moment before nodding with certainty. "Yeah, I miss Ryan the most.""So, only I,
As I processed Harry's bombshell, I turned to Ethan and asked, "Have you checked if Fred Yimo is really Ken Yimo's biological son?"Ethan's expression turned serious as he pulled out his phone. "I'll have someone look into it now."Peter furrowed his brow, clearly skeptical. "You suspect Fred Yimo might be adopted too?""I actually hope so," I replied firmly. "It's a lot less messy than the unethical theory.""Ken Yimo really isn't simple," Harry remarked on the phone, sounding almost impressed. "When I was around, Fred was a bit more relaxed. But the moment I left, he turned into a mouse—didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, but a little bit “sticky” though."I let out a cold laugh. "Doesn't that completely clash with the surveillance cameras he set up at home?"Peter nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right. Which of these sides is the r
As Peter and I sat off to the side, watching them laugh and chat, a tangle of emotions stirred within us. The scene was heartwarming, yet there was an undeniable sense of loss. Here we were, two grown men, holding our glasses, sitting on the fringes of this cozy gathering, as if the world had forgotten about us.Peter let out a heavy sigh. "Why does it feel like I'm drifting further away from my own precious one?" His gaze lingered on Nick and Neil, a hint of sadness in his eyes.I took a sip of my drink, my voice low. "It feels like everyone else is getting closer to Neil than I am." The words left a sting in my chest, as though something inside me had been pierced.Ethan, overhearing our conversation, smiled softly and leaned in to offer a quiet word of reassurance. "Don’t rush," he said gently. "You’ll grow closer in time." He set down his soup spoon, his demeanor calm and wise. "When the bond is strong, n